March 24
was the 365th and last day of the year in many European implementations of the Julian calendar.In England, Scotland and Ireland the Julian calendar was abandoned, and the Gregorian adopted, in 1752 (New Style). Events *1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. *1603 - James VI of Scotland also becomes James I King of England. *1731 - An Act to naturalize Hieronimus De Salis Esquire, passed. *1765 - American Revolutionary War: The Kingdom of Great Britain passes the Quartering Act that requires the 13 American colonies to house British troops. *1832 - In Hiram a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader Joseph Smith. *1837 - Canada gives African men the right to vote. *1868 - Metropolitan Life Insurance Company is formed. *1878 - The British frigate HMS Eurydice sinks, killing more than 300. *1882 - Robert Koch announces the discovery of the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis (mycobacterium tuberculosis). *1898 - Robert Allison of Port Carbon becomes the first person to buy an American-built automobile when he buys a Winton automobile that was advertised in Scientific American. *1900 - New York City Mayor Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn. *1923 - Greece becomes a republic. *1934 - U.S. Congress passes Tydings-McDuffie Act. *1944 - German troops kill 335 Italian civilians in the Ardeatine Massacre in Rome. * 1944 - In an event later dramatized in the movie The Great Escape, 76 prisoners begin breaking out of Stalag Luft III. *1959 - The Party of the African Federation (PFA) is launched by Léopold Sédar Senghor and Modibo Keita. *1965 - NASA spacecraft Ranger 9, equipped to convert its signals into a form suitable for showing on domestic television, brings images of the Moon into ordinary homes before crash-landing. *1972 - The United Kingdom imposes "Direct Rule" over Northern Ireland. *1973 - Kenyan track runner Kip Keino defeats Jim Ryun at the first-ever professional track meet in Los Angeles, sanctioned by the International Track Association. *1976 - Argentina's military forces depose president Isabel Perón and start the National Reorganization Process. *1980 - Archbishop Óscar Romero is killed by right-wing terrorists while celebrating Mass in San Salvador. *1989 - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (42,000 m³) of petroleum after running aground. *1998 - Jonesboro massacre: In Jonesboro, two boys (aged 11 and 13 years) fire upon students at Westside Middle School; four students and one teacher are killed and 10 injured. * 1998 - Tornado sweeps through Dantan in India killing 250 people and injuring 3000 others. *1999 - Kosovo War: NATO commences air bombardment against Yugoslavia, marking the first time NATO has attacked a sovereign country. * 1999 - Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire: 39 people died when a Belgian transport truck carrying flour and margarine caught fire in Mont Blanc Tunnel. *2000 - The S&P 500 reaches an all-time high of 1527.46. *2003 - The Arab League votes 21-1 in favor of a resolution demanding the immediate and unconditional removal of U.S. and British soldiers from Iraq. *2006 - Long-term protests in Belarus are broken by police. * 2006 - Pope Benedict XVI adds 15 men to the College of Cardinals, in the first consistory of his Pontificate. *2007 - The Australian Labor Party is reinstated after the NSW state elections. Births *1494 - Georg Agricola, German scientist (d. 1555) *1607 - Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter, Dutch admiral (d. 1667) *1628 - Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1685) *1657 - Arai Hakuseki, Japanese writer and politician (d. 1725) *1693 - John Harrison, British clockmaker (d. 1776) *1725 - Samuel Ashe, Governor of North Carolina (d. 1813) * 1725 - Thomas Cushing, American Continental Congressman (d. 1788) *1782 - Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (d. 1836) *1796 - John Corry Wilson Daly, Canadian politician (d. 1878) *1809 - Mariano José de Larra, Spanish journalist and writer (d. 1837 *1809 - Joseph Liouville, French mathematician (d. 1882) *1820 - A. E. Becquerel, French physicist (d. 1891) * 1820 - Fanny Crosby, American hymnist (d. 1915) *1828 - Horace Gray, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1902) *1829 - George Francis Train, American businessman (d. 1904) * 1829 - Ignacio Zaragoza, Mexican general (d. 1862) *1830 - Robert Hamerling, Austrian poet (d. 1889) *1834 - William Morris, English writer and designer (d. 1896) * 1834 - John Wesley Powell, American explorer and environmentalist (d. 1902) *1835 - Jožef Stefan, Slovenian physicist (d. 1893) *1848 - Honoré Beaugrand, American journalist and newspaper publisher (La Patrie) (d. 1906) *1850 - Silas Hocking, British novelist and preacher (d. 1935) *1855 - Andrew Mellon, American financier (d. 1937) * 1855 - Olive Schreiner, South African writer (d. 1920) *1874 - Harry Houdini, (Weisz Erik), Hungarian-born magician (d. 1926) *1884 - Peter Debye, Dutch chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1966) *1886 - Athenagoras I, Greek Patriarch of Constantinople (d. 1972) * 1886 - Edward Weston, American photographer (d. 1958) *1887 - Roscoe Arbuckle, American actor (d. 1933) *1888 - Viktor Kingissepp, Estonian Bolshevik politician (d. 1922) *1889 - Albert Hill, British athlete (d. 1969) *1891 - Sergey Ivanovich Vavilov, Soviet physicist (d. 1951) *1893 - George Sisler, American baseball player (d. 1973) * 1893 - Walter Baade, German astronomer (d. 1960) *1897 - Wilhelm Reich, Austrian-born psychotherapist (d. 1957) *1901 - Ub Iwerks, American cartoonist (d. 1971) *1902 - Thomas Dewey, American politician (d. 1971) *1903 - Adolf Butenandt, German chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1995) *1903 - Malcolm Muggeridge, British author and scholar (d. 1990) *1906 - Klavdiya Shulzhenko, Soviet singer (d. 1984) *1907 - Paul Sauvé, Quebec politician (d. 1960) *1909 - Clyde Barrow, American crime figure (d. 1934) *1910 - Richard Conte, American actor (d. 1975) *1911 - Joseph Barbera, American cartoonist (d. 2006) *1915 - Gorgeous George, American professional wrestler (d. 1963) *1916 - Donald Hamilton, Swedish-American novelist *1917 - John Kendrew, British molecular biologist, Nobel laureate (d. 1997) * 1917 - Constantine Andreou, Greek-Brazilian artist (d. 2007) *1919 - Lawrence Ferlinghetti, American author and publisher * 1919 - Robert Heilbroner, American economist (d. 2005) *1920 - Gene Nelson, American actor (d. 1996) *1921 - Vasily Smyslov, Russian chess player *1922 - Onna White, Canadian choreographer (d. 2005) *1923 - Murray Hamilton, American actor (d. 1986) *1924 - Norman Fell, American actor (d. 1998) *1925 - Puig Aubert, French rugby league footballer (d. 1994) *1926 - Dario Fo, Italian writer, Nobel laureate *1927 - Martin Walser, German author *1928 - Byron Janis, American pianist *1930 - David Dacko, 1st President of the Central African Republic (d. 2003) * 1930 - Agustín González, Spanish actor (d. 2005) * 1930 - Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980) *1934 - William Smith, American actor *1935 - Peter Bichsel, Swiss writer *1936 - David Suzuki, Canadian scientist and environmentalist *1937 - Billy Stewart, American singer (d. 1970) *1938 - Holger Czukay, German musician (Can) * 1938 - David Irving, British historian *1940 - Bob Mackie, American fashion designer *1944 - R. Lee Ermey, American actor * 1944 - Vojislav Koštunica, Serbian Prime Minister *1945 - Robert T. Bakker, American paleontologist * 1945 - Curtis Hanson, American film director *1946 - Klaus Dinger, German musician (Neu!, Kraftwerk) *1947 - Meiko Kaji, Japanese singer and actress * 1947 - Alan Sugar, English businessman *1949 - Nick Lowe, British musician *1951 - Pat Bradley, American golfer * 1951 - Tommy Hilfiger, American fashion designer * 1951 - Dougie Thomson, British bassist (Supertramp) *1953 - Louie Anderson, American comedian *1954 - Robert Carradine, American actor * 1954 - Donna Pescow, American actress *1955 - Doug Jarvis, Canadian ice hockey player *1957 - Pierre Harvey, Quebec cyclist and cross-country skier *1958 - Mike Woodson, American basketball player and head coach *1958 - El Duce, American drummer/singer The Mentors (d. 1997) *1960 - Kelly LeBrock, American actress * 1960 - Nena, German singer * 1960 - Barry Horowitz, American professional wrestler *1961 - Dean Jones, Australian cricketer *1962 - Star Jones Reynolds, American television personality * 1962 - Angèle Dubeau, Quebec violinist *1964 - Annabella Sciorra, American actress *1965 - The Undertaker, American professional wrestler * 1965 - Gurmit Singh, Singaporean actor *1969 - Houston, American pornographic actress *1970 - Lara Flynn Boyle, American actress * 1970 - Sharon Corr, Irish musician (The Corrs) * 1970 - Judith Draxler, Austrian swimmer *1972 - Steve Karsay, American baseball player *1973 - Jacek Bąk, Polish footballer * 1973 - Steve Corica, Australian soccer player *1974 - Chad Butler, American drummer (Switchfoot) * 1974 - Alyson Hannigan, American actress *1975 - Thomas Johansson, Swedish tennis player *1976 - Aaron Brooks, American football player * 1976 - Peyton Manning, American football player * 1976 - Aliou Cissé, Senegalese footballer * 1976 - Athanasios Kostoulas, Greek footballer *1977 - Darren Lockyer, Australian rugby league footballer * 1977 - Corneille, Canadian-Rwandan singer *1979 - Graeme Swann, English cricketer * 1979 - Periklis Iakovakis, Greek athlete *1980 - Tassos Venetis, Greek footballer *1981 - Ron Hainsey, American Hockey player *1982 - Dustin McGowan, American baseball player * 1982 - Corey Hart, American baseball player * 1982 - Nivea, American singer *1983 - T.J. Ford, American basketball player *1984 - Chris Bosh, American basketball player *1985 - Haruka Ayase, Japanese actress and model *1986 - Kohei Hirate, Japanese racing driver * 1986 - Anthony McMahon, English footballer * 1986 - Michael Wang, American College Student *1988 - Ryan Higgins, Zimbabwean cricketer *1990 - Keisha Castle-Hughes, Australian-born New Zealand actress Deaths * 809 - Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (b. 763) *1284 - King Hugh III of Cyprus *1361 - Henry of Grosmont, English soldier and diplomat *1381 - Catherine of Sweden, Swedish saint *1396 - Walter Hilton, English mystic *1455 - Pope Nicholas V (b. 1397) *1558 - Anna of Egmond, Countess of Egmond and Buren (b. 1533) *1563 - Hosokawa Harumoto, Japanese military leader (b. 1514) *1575 - Yosef Karo, Spanish-born rabbi (b. 1488) *1603 - Queen Elizabeth I of England (b. 1533) *1653 - Samuel Scheidt, German composer (b. 1587) *1773 - Philip Dormer Stanhope, English statesman (b. 1694) *1776 - John Harrison, English clockmaker (b. 1693) *1869 - Antoine-Henri Jomini, French general (b. 1779) *1881 - Joseph Delesse, French geologist (b. 1817) *1882 - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American author (b. 1807) *1887 - Ivan Kramskoi, Russian painter and art critic (b. 1837) *1888 - Vsevolod Garshin, Russian author (b. 1855) *1905 - Jules Verne, French author (b. 1828) *1909 - John Millington Synge, Irish playwright (b. 1871) *1915 - Karol Olszewski, Polish scientist (b. 1846) *1916 - Enrique Granados, Spanish composer (b. 1867) *1921 - Larry McLean, Canadian baseball player (b. 1881) *1944 - Orde Wingate, British soldier (b. 1903) *1946 - Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (b. 1892) *1948 - Sigrid Hjertén, Swedish modernist painter (b. 1885) *1950 - James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (b. 1865) *1953 - Mary of Teck, queen consort to George V of the United Kingdom (b. 1867) *1962 - Jean Goldkette, Greek-born musician (b. 1899) * 1962 - Auguste Piccard, Swiss physicist and explorer (b. 1884) *1968 - Alice Guy-Blaché, American film director (b. 1873) *1972 - Cristobal Balenciaga, Spanish couturier (b. 1895) *1976 - Bernard Montgomery, British field marshal (b. 1887) *1980 - Óscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador (b. 1917) *1984 - Sam Jaffe, American actor (b. 1891) *1990 - Ray Goulding, American comedian (b. 1922) * 1990 - An Wang, Chinese-born computer innovator (b. 1920) *1991 - Sir John Kerr, 18th Governor General of Australia (b. 1914) *1993 - John Hersey, American author (b. 1914) *1997 - Martin Caidin, American writer noted for his focus on aviation (b. 1927) * 1997 - Harold Melvin, American singer (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) (b. 1939) *1999 - Gertrud Scholtz-Klink, German women's leader (b. 1902) * 1999 - Birdie Tebbetts, American baseball player and manager (b. 1912) *2001 - Muriel Young, English TV entertainer (b. 1928) *2002 - César Milstein, Argentine scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1927) *2003 - Hans Hermann Groër, Austrian Catholic archbishop (b. 1919) *2006 - Lynne Perrie, English actress (b. 1931) Holidays and observances *Ancient Latvia - Kazimiras Diena observed. *World Tuberculosis Day. Liturgical feasts *Saint Macartan *Saint Simeon (died 1475) *Saint Catharine of Sweden (died 1381) References External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:March